


A chasing nightmare

by AzureRegulus



Series: A life without the holy grail [6]
Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:09:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27921289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureRegulus/pseuds/AzureRegulus
Summary: The life of the huntress of Arcadia was none of joy. Betrayed by everyone, her end was none one could sing praise about. Especially to those who know the truth. Suffering from the nightmare of her life again, her master in the great holy grail war, sat alone in the dead of night, hoping for his mind to be put at ease.Yet the cries of the infant are tearing his mind apart.
Relationships: Atalanta | Archer of Red/Original Master
Series: A life without the holy grail [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019353
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	A chasing nightmare

Even now, he heard them.

Horrible cries ringing in his ears.

Alone in the woods, unable to move, he was forced to watch. Starved and ready to tear it apart, wolves surrounded a small basket holding a crying infant. It was small, barely a been born. Louder and louder the infant screamed as the predators approached ever closer.

One of them started fletching its teeth, ready to silence her.

But he couldn’t move.

For all he wished to do, his body refused to move and save the child.

It was a nightmare. His nightmare coming true.

But before the wolf could lunge, it flinched as a woman in a white dress approached the basket. Eyes, radiant as the sky basked in daylight, a brilliant azure, struck the beasts with terror. Though snarling, a primal instinct caused them to flee with their tails between their legs.

Gazing at her feet, the woman bent down towards the baby. With great care, she picked it out of the basket. Wide emerald eyes gazed up at the woman’s kind smile.

“There, there. Everything is fine. You are safe now.”, the woman whispered. A tender finger gently traced the baby’s cheek.

Hearing the overjoyed laughter, how the woman adored the baby in her arms, he relaxed, only for his view to transform.

He saw how men were fighting over a pelt. Furious that these two refused his wish to gift it to the woman who drew the first blood upon the demonic boar that laid still on the trampled ground, the third killed them both, only to die soon after gifting it a woman with an emerald, piercing gaze.

“Please, take it as a sign of my love for you.”.

“Meleager. I do not care what you think about me. I told you often enough. I have an oath and no man will get me to break it.”.

“It doesn’t matter. Atalanta, I do not mean to do you harm with this. I only wish to gift it to the woman who was able to pierce its hide first. Even if I am not the man meant to be with you…at least take it.”.

“Tch. You are a fool, Meleager.”.

The scene shifted once more. The woman was overseeing the railing on a ship, beside her a man with long purple hair, a small beard and warm, golden eyes.

“Peleus?”.

“Yes, Atalanta?”.

“Are all men such fools?”.

“Some of them are. Even knowing their love is not returned, they stubbornly cling to them. Even if the woman hates them, they are happy.”.

“I see…do you think Meleager is happy to have died knowing that he gifted this thing to a woman that cannot feel love?”.

“…What makes you think that you cannot?”.

A hand folded over her slim chest. A longing gaze raced over the ocean. No matter if her journey would take her to the end of the world, her legs would carry her, fueled by that one desire.

“Tell me of a man that would support me of my wish with every bit of his heart. As long as a man like that doesn’t exist, I will save children by myself for eternity. Meleager thought he could win my hand with this. But in the end, that is what killed him. It was a death without reason. He didn’t achieve anything by it. Typical. Warriors searching for glory and a good fight are fools. They can all go out into the battlefield and die like insects and I wouldn’t bat an eye when I shoot an arrow between their eyes.”.

The man smiles a bit. Though it seems more worried than amused.

“Atalanta…I think somewhere out there exists someone that is perfect for you.”.

“I doubt that. I would have to see him with my own eyes.”.

Her answer was followed by a smile of her own. Turning on her heel, she leaned against the railing, gazing at her friend.

“Aside from that, you should worry about yourself. After all, once you return, you will be a father.”.

“I hope. Her belly was growing already. I think it will be more than just one!”.

“That sounds wonderful, Peleus. I hope you are blessed with healthy children to love.”.

“I will love every single one of them. And by the time we meet again, I hope you are ready to have a few rascals dancing around your legs! Because I will tell them all about you!”.

“Haha! You want to make me their older sister, Peleus? Or are you trying to make me their godmother?”.

A smile spread on his face as he watched them converse. It was a small moment of joy, but enough to sooth the wound inflicted by the baby.

Hearing a drop fall, he gazed at his feet.

Blood.

A headless body.

His eyes crossed, he gazed up at Atalanta’s violent show, holding up a head towards the crowd…

…a golden apple clenched between its jaws.

“Gaze upon him! Every single one of you!”.

Her voice, tearing open the sky, trembled with rage. Higher and higher, the woman with a mane as wild as a lion’s raised the decapitated head higher. Despite her beauty, her widened emerald eyes terrified the masses.

“He tried to win with trickery! Those apples are a curse to mortals, and he tried to win my hand with them. Look at them and tell me: Do you feel no desire to pick them up?!”.

Silently the masses gazed at two apples that still laid on the starting line. The sheen a brilliant golden color, dulled from rolling the dirt and the sun having vanished behind thick, dark clouds.

“If I hadn’t noticed, this man would have won me without ever having earned it! Any who attempt to win with treachery, are delivered death by my own hands! Learn from it! If you do not have faith in your own physical capabilities, do not attempt to challenge me, and get out of my sigh!”.

As the head rolled on the ground and the woman stomped away, her seething anger written all over her face, he only gazed at the terrified expression of the masses. With a small glance at the head, frozen in terror when she ripped his head off, he gazed after her.

The storm grew louder.

With a flash, he found himself inside the forests of Arcadia.

She was running. Running with all her might.

“Where is she?!”.

“I don’t know! Malaka! I knew she was fast, but this is insane!”.

“Find her! She killed the king! Threw him of the balcony!”.

“Why chase her? She is going to Tartarus anyway. She murdered her kin! Hades will have her soon enough, when Thanatos’ grip on her throat tightens.”.

Out of breath, her royal garbs dirtied, the woman continued to run. Farther and farther, over roots and trees, resisting the rain and the angry flashes of Zeus’ thunder, the woman ran with all the stamina she had left. She tried to ignore the words.

Yet these words are exactly what her whole life has been.

Betrayal.

Betrayed by her father.

Betrayed by life itself, ever since she was born.

Stumbling over a large root, the woman quickly raised, yet finding her robes being caught. Ripping it apart to allow her to run better, she continued to flee.

“I didn’t kill him!”.

Thankful for the tears to be washed away by the rain, the woman ran against the storm. A fight was fruitless. Even if she was physically strong and knew how to wrestle a man down, the sheer numbers would be too much. Unable to take her bow with her, she had to run away barehanded

The woman could only flee.

She knew the woods of Arcadia like the back of her hand. Escaping her pursuers was the easiest part. Though, her stamina was reaching its limit.

“H-He tried to strike me down. Because I refused to marry, I enraged him. But that he fell over the balcony, wasn’t my fault! He stumbled! His form was sloppy! I just evaded a-and…”.

When the voices finally faded and the storm howled, the woman leaned against the nearest tree, chest heaving with every ragged breath. Powerless, she slumped back, hugging her knees. She didn’t mind the feeling of the muddy soil clinging to her delicate body, neither the torn robes.

“Was I…never meant to receive love?”.

Her cracked voice received no answer, only the howling of the storm.

“Medea! Peleus!”.

Crying into her knees, the woman finally let go of everything she held inside of her chest. In her despair, she called out to the only two she ever saw as family.

“I…just wanted to create a world where very child is loved by its parents! Was my wish so wrong?! Y-You both said…there would be someone out there for me…So, why?! Why was I forced to race?! Where is this man that would show affection to me for who I am?! Someone I did not have to mask myself from?! Who’d love me unconditionally and support my wish?!”.

Staring up into the sky, the moon gently cradled her cheek, before being swallowed once more the blanket of darkness.

“Lady Artemis…”.

The goddess of the hunt that saved the baby from being torn apart by beasts. Yet that very mother was out of her reach.

Fighting every ounce of tiredness, she forced herself on her legs. Holding her arm, covered in scratches, she stumbled into the darkness of the woods.

As the shadows consumed her, having followed her entire journey, his heart shattered with a final whisper.

“I swear on my name…I will create this world. By myself if I have to. I will kill any beast that crosses my path; Any warrior that dares to reach for my hand! I will create a world where children are loved…”.

When she was gone, the man bit his lips.

“…so no one will have to suffer like myself ever again…”.

…

Being the master of a Servant was a blessing. Being close to such a hero. Even having the opportunity to marry the woman of your dreams is something close to a miracle.

Though if you, as a husband, are the master, sometimes you have to endure a curse that came with it as well.

Sitting on the black leather couch, his white hair unkempt, Crio silently gazed outside, putting out his third cigarette. Pouring himself another whiskey in an attempt to get himself drunk and ready to go back to bed with his wife, the grimace on him never faded.

The cry of the baby.

A curious question about the desires of warriors.

An enraged roar of a bestial woman, that made every spectator shiver at her brutality.

And the remnants of her desire. A wish she wanted to grant herself and every child in the world.

One no man seemed to share with her.

He tried everything to forget the nightmare. Yet his dull sapphire eyes couldn’t erase the image. He tried it with a workout. But the memory sent too much adrenaline through his body and fueled his aggression.

He tried playing videogames, and soon got called by Penthesilea. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried playing Monster Hunter of all games, because the son of Peleus quickly noticed him online, prompting his girlfriend to call him. The pair was used to staying awake long and getting up early to run a few laps and spar together. Though they knew that Crio was an early sleeper and seeing him awake at midnight seemed off. Seeing the former Archer’s master as her dear brother, funny considering their hair color being the same, she quickly phoned him, listening to what kept him up. But despite her best attempts, she couldn’t alleviate the nightmare.

Taking a walk was no option. His wife’s ears were sharp. The moment the door was opened, she’d have shot out of bed, maybe with bow and arrow in hand in fear it was a burglar. He at least wanted to give her rest and suffer through it himself.

Seeing her life flash in front of him.

No matter how often he did, it tore Crio’s heart in two. It did the first time in the great holy grail war when he dreamed about her while laying on her lap. It did when again when the war was over and his mind remembered, making him suffer through it again.

Even after their marriage, her past chased after him.

Gazing into the full glass, he could take nothing more but a sip. The taste sickened him already. It didn’t ease him up or anything, not like when he was in good company or drinking together with her. Opening the door to the balcony, the cold December wind greeting him, Crio silently gazed at the moon, allowing the stench of alcohol and smoke to leave the apartment.

Just like back then, when it cradled her cheek, it now cradled his. But unlike her, he knew this was just a rock up in the sky.

Their mother could do nothing.

“Why…did she have to go through all that?”, he wondered. Leaning against the railing, his hands folded tightly, Crio gazed below to the pier.

The ocean held so many tales. Yet none could be spoken. Despite having seen and heard her tale, he was never able to uncover the truth until she told it herself.

With a slight scoff, he turned back to head inside. It was getting too cold for him. He had always hated winter. A bad joke considering his name is an anagram the greek word for cold.

But the moment he closed the door behind him…

“ _Agapi mou?”._

Hearing his woman call out in the darkness, trying to find her beloved, Crio’s body temperature dropped below freezing point.

Sad emerald eyes, framed by leaf green strands, gazed out from the bedroom. Long blonde hair was flowing freely. Her body, shivering from the cold because of him airing out the living room, was covered by one of his cardigans. Her gaze wandered to the table in the middle of the room, swiftly noticing the full ashtray and the alcohol. Her lips pursed. She had always hated his bad habit of smocking when he was stressed. Back in the holy grail war, she one day snatched his cigarette right under his nose and ran with it into the forest. Though he could have easily just pulled out a new one, he instead chased after tail.

But even when she allowed it, he only needed one to calm down.

However, there was only one case in when he needed more than one.

Scowling at the table, Crio attempted his best to smile. “Sorry, Atalanta. I didn’t mean to wake you.”, he whispered, moving to pick up the ashtray. “It must have been a bit drafty. But I needed to air out the apartment. Go back to sleep. I’ll-“.

“You had that nightmare again, didn’t you?”.

Inches away from the ashtray, his fingers stopped at the trembling voice. “I know you! You only drink and smoke whenever you dream about me!”, she stopped him, taking his hand in her own. Pure regret crawled over her face. No matter how much he tried to hide it, Atalanta could read him like an open book.

She knew his expressions all too well by now. That is what being married eventually leads up to.

You will not have any secrets anymore.

Embracing her husband, Atalanta nuzzled against his cheek. His body slightly trembled in her arms. “Was I…screaming again?”, she whimpered, knowing exactly what have seen. “Was I an infant again?”.

Listening to him struggle to take a deep breath, Atalanta kissed his cheek. “I know, Crio. You would have picked me up then and there. If these wolves tried to tear me apart, you would done everything to protect me. I am eternally grateful to have you. But…Why?”.

Gazing out, the moon showed itself once more.

“If I married you willingly…if we are here spending the rest of our days together…why does it seem like I make you suffer?”.

Finally, his strength returned. Gently wrapping his arms around her waist, Crio took in her scent. Even despite the shower she took before heading to bed, there was the smell of the greek sea and apples in her hair. It calmed him down, no matter how often he struggled.

Atalanta was his lifebelt.

“You don’t.”, Crio returned, caressing her hair and lion ears. How they folded back whenever she was sad tore at him. “It is something I accepted to shoulder when we married. Even when you were summoned in front of me. And I will continue to do so.”.

At the sound of his conviction, her pull grew stronger. He felt as if she tried to merge with him. So close to feel her breath kiss his skin. Her heart pounding against her ribcage.

In the solace of the moon, the pair sat on the couch, ignoring the messages Crio received.

Nuzzled against his chest, Atalanta cradled the green blanket around them, as they watched her favorite movie.

One of children going through many hardships, yet ending with a victory. It always brought her to tears.

But right now, as Crio watched it, he felt his chest tighten. There was no hint of his usual amusement when Atalanta would start sobbing.

What he saw there was an unfulfilled promise.

“I am sorry, Atalanta. I-“.

“Hush.”.

Before he could even finish his next sentence, she silenced him. “I know what you want to say…and you are wrong.”, she firmly responded, wiping the tears away to stare into his eyes. That ocean of regrets that threatened to swallow him from the inside out. Becoming his sun at this very moment, she smiled up at him, soft as the breeze racing over the meadows. “You are fulfilling your promise to me. We are saving children. One by one, as you said. Even if we cannot take care of them ourselves, you take great care where they end up and in which orphanage they will stay.”.

A fond memory rose inside of her.

“That child we found pursued by Yakuzas. After we saved that girl and delivered her to that orphanage, sunflower, you wanted to meet the new parents yourself before allowing her to be adopted. You asked so many questions I wouldn’t even think about. All to make sure they lived a good life.”.

Grasping his phone, knowing his password, she easily unlocked it.

Bringing up a small photo of a girl happily clinging to her new parents. She was already a year older there. But her smile was bright and shining. Nothing could fake that.

Leaning against his shoulder, she swam in fond memories. “When the parents asked to meet you again because she wanted to see us…Seeing how happy she was, I knew what we were doing was right. Crio, I do not need a grail anymore that could threaten to burn little ones like her alive.”.

His eyes softened, the close she got. He would give everything to see her smile like this every single day. He would carry the world on his shoulder and then some. If the huntress was happy at his side, that was all he needed.

Her hands behind his head gently pulled him closer.

Caressing his white mane, Atalanta sealed his lips with her own, showing her love for him in the purest manner possible.

Finally, the nightmarish cries in his head stopped as he indulged in the passionate kiss, pulling his wife closer the more the children in the movie started to cheer.

Snuggling underneath the cover, in the safety of the other’s arms, they could finally drift off.

And this time, the past didn’t chase after them.


End file.
